Needle latch guard



March 18. 1947. o, FREGEQLLE NEEDLE LATCH GUARD Filed Dec. 21, 1945 2sheets-Sheet .1

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Patented Mar. 18, 1947 2,417,479 NEEDLE LATCH GUARDu Oscar Fregeolle,Central Falls; R; assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., acorporation of Massachusetts l' Application December 21, 1945, SerialNo. 636,441

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and useful im.. p'rovement in knittingmachines of the circular, independent needle, type having superposedaxially aligned needle cylinders. Its object is to provide means forcontrolling the latches of certain needles at a certain critical time.

As is well known, a machine of this type is well adapted for productionof true rib fabric widely used in hosiery and still more widely in thetops of stockings having plain legs and feet. The machine is providedwith double ended needles capable of knitting in either the upper orlower cylinder. When knitting in the lower cylinder they produce typicalplain fabric and if associated with needles knitting in the uppercylinder they produce true rib fabric, the outstanding and depressedwales of which are knit by needles operating in the lower and uppercylinder, respectively. All of the needles are operated by sliderspositioned in the corresponding cylinder slots so as to be engageablewith the idle hooks of the needles.

Assuming that some of the needles have been operating in the uppercylinder in the production of a .true rib sto-cking top, for example,and that the leg is to be of plain fabric, it is necessary that theneedles which have been working in the upper cylinder be transferred tothe lower cylinder before plain knitting begins. To trans-v fer theseneedles to the lower cylinder, it is necessary to uncouple them from theupper cylinderrsliders and to couple them to the corresponding slidersof the lower cylinder. Touncouple the sliders they are swung outradiallyv of the cylinder slots by a suitable mechanism calledV a needledivider until their hooks are clear of the needle hooks to which theyhave been connected.

As is ,well known, the latches of the needles should be controlled bysome positive means to keep themfrom opening or closing as the case maybe except at such' times as their free action is required. For thispurpose, the machine may L beprovided with a latch' ring or guardsufficiently close to the cylinder so that the needle latches will beretained substantially in their open or closed position as the case maybe. However, during transfer the necessary outward movement of the uppercylinder sliders to uncouple them from their needles causes them toproject considerably beyond the cylinder adjacent the point of transfer.Therefore, the latchgguard has to be omitted or withdrawn at this pointwith the result that the latches of the lower cylinder needles in thisarea may be left without control Aand may open or close and in so doingmay be damaged or rendered unsuitable for the subsequent knittingoperation.

This diiculty has been minimized in some two cylinder machines such, forexample, as that disclosed in the application for U. S. Letters Patent#559,136, filed October 18, 1944, by Closing which the-latch guardshould be. wholly satisfactory in all cases because the outward swing ofthe sliders may be so great that this section of the latch guard may bewithdrawnv so far that'some of the needle latches will'miss it entirelyor strike it when they are in a hori-' zontal position so that it is notalways effective: to keep the latches open or closed as desired'. or toprevent damage to them. The primary'y object of this invention is toprovide simple and positive means of keeping open the latches of lowercylinder needles while needlesl whichY have been Vworkingin the uppercylinder are being" transferred to the lower cylinder. The needles beingtransferred require no special control with respect to theirupperlatches because `theusual upper slider is long enough to1 cover the1atch so that it is prevented from closing.

The machine' selected for illustration herein without any intentionoflimiting the invention: thereto, is substantially that 'of the patentAap-V plication referred to above. It is also shownin the drawing ofwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cylinder surrounded:

by a latch guard having a resilient element spanning the gap in the areaof needle transfer;

Fig. 2 is a 4detail ofthe same cylinderand latch ring showing how.` theresilient element is distorted` outwardly by the outward swing of thesliders when they are uncoupled from their' the sliders being shownpartly in: s'ecfi v'isla detailed view of a needle 4showing the needlecircle oherwise formed by ring I.

3 der 2. The gap in latch ring I is shown at 3. Thisis spanned by aresilient element Vshown as four springs 4 in Figs. 3 and 4, the upperone of which is also shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These springs substantiallycomplete the circle around A needle 5,1gassumed' vto have been operatingin upper cylinder 2 yby means of its slider Ii, is 1 Vshown in Fig. 3.An adjacent needle I assumed to have ybeen operating in the lowercylinder 8 and a corresponding upper cylinder slider 9 1s shown in Fig.4. A slider 9 should be provided' in the upper cylinder for each of theneedlesL'I operating in the lower cylinder .which 'are 1n the transferarea represented by gap 3 while any` upper cylinder needle 5 isbeingtransferred to.

the lower cylinder. Y

Whenl such transfer .occurs upper .cylinder slider 6, still connected toits needle 5, 1s moved down until its end Illengages a suitabledevice,... lsuchfasneedledivider II, whereby it is swung. out

radially of upper cylinder 2-until itis disengaged fromthe needle asshown in` Fig. 3. When this occurs springs 4 which normally.- eXtendstraight across .gap 3 as shown in Fig. 1 are swungA out by the dividerasV shownin Figs'2, 3V and'g4, The

latchofA adjacent needle I'assumed to bejoperat-r ingr in lower cylinder8 which should'vbe vopen at thistime would, wereit not for slider 9,. beun. protected withthe result that the latch might.. Vswing-up'and strikethewithdrawn springs 4 in such ai way as to be damaged or theymightevenV passfcompletely Vby springs 4 and close.

. Slider-`9 may be identical to slider El and may beoperated by the`same cam with, the exception that. its shank. should `be shorter thanthat 0i slidery E so that when slider Bhas reached itslow-V 'ermostposition during transfer as shown inFig; 3. tlie .tipqIZ of slider 9will cover latch I3 of needle'l and will not descend far enough sov thatitsv hook .I4 will. connect with hook I5, of'Y needle" 'If asshowninFig. 4..k Slider 9 and itsl operating de-` vice: maybev of-anyconstruction other than thatr just suggested. so longas it meetsthe-above operating requirements- Y i wayrthe latches. of the. lowercylinder needlesV are. positively. controlled during; transfer ofVneedles fromr the upper to the lower cylinder'V whenever springs 4..cannot serve effectively for thispurpose... As' a. matterof fact, asfaras this invention iis; concerned, springs 4A or their equiv.-4

alentmay be omitted since the latches of the. transferred.l needles are.controlled by. sliders 61 and the latches of theV lower cylinder'needles by'v sliders 9. The number of sliders 9i Which should be used;will vary with the character ofthe machine-i andthe judgment of. theoperator. suiiicient. that ay slider 9 be provided for each Ydles duringthe knitting of the full complement of sliders 9 and 9 would, kpre-l vsumably, be used. For other work, fewer sliders 9 might be sufficient.The necessary number and arrangement of both kinds of sliders willdepend upon the nature of the work being done. -Alfthough, as alreadystated, springs 4 may be omitf ted withoutaffecting theoper'ation ofthisinven-l ton; something of: this sort-isl usuallynecessary to controlthe latches of the instep group of vnee- Y heel and .toe by theshortbutt needles. y

1. In. avcircular Yknitting machine of the superv i posed, coaxial.cylinder type provided with nee` Y dles adapted` to Vknit in eithercylinder, sliders in each cylinderA for operating the needles which knittherein, Vmeans for disconnecting from upper cylinder needles thecorresponding upper cyl- Y inder sliders so that said needles can betransferred to the lower. cylinder and means-ferrontrollingf the latches'of v adjacent lower cylinder needles only during such transfer.. y s.

2.y In. acircular knitting Vmachiner of thesuper-A l posed coaxialcylinder type provided Awith. needlesY sliders so' that said needles'canbetransferred :.O' the lower cylinder and'r means for controlling thek fduring such transfer comprising a slider in theV f upper Ycylinder yforveach said adjacent .needlerv adaptedY to overlay the latch ofl thecorrespond' v 2,313,642- Holmeset a1 1-- Mar. 9. 1943..`

adapted to knit in Veither cylinder, sliders in eachcylinder foroperating theY needles which knit therein, means for disconnectingfromupper cyl-, 1

inder needles the.corresponding.upper cylinder latches oi adjacent lowercylinderY needles only` ing lower cylinder-needle during transfer.

3.,.In a circular knitting machine ofv the-.supere posed, coaxialcylinder type provided Wi'thnee.-

dles adapted to knit inveithercylinder, sliders.. .j in'l each cylinderfor operating the needles, whichV knit therein, cams for operatingI thesliders,`

means for disconnecting vfrom upper cylinder needles thecorrespondingvupp-er cylinder sliders so that said.Y needles cany be.transferred to the y lower'cylinder and means for vcontrolling thek ylatches of adjacent lower cylinder needles only during such transfer,said last mentioned means-j consisting of corresponding sliderspositioned in the upperl cylinder slots, said sliders being long..

enough to overlie thelatches. of` thecorrespondingy lower cylinderneedleswhen adjacent upper.:A

cylinder fneedles are being transferred to the.

lower cylinder buttoo short toreach needle en.-.

gagingy level when the sliders ferring areat that'level. f

' Y OSCARv FREGEOLLE.;

` REFERENCES CITED involved in-ftrans- The following references are ofirecord in theV ii'le ofl this patent:

kUNTTED sTATEs PATENTS Number` l 1 Name Date;

